Rockies or Diamondbacks: Who would the Dodgers rather play?

The Los Angeles Dodgers wrapped up their end-of-the-regular-season series against the Colorado Rockies last weekend at Coors Field. There is little doubt that the Dodgers and their fans hope that that was their last trip to Denver in 2017 … or is there?

Should the Rockies advance past the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Wild Card game on Wednesday night, they would meet up with the National League West champions in the National League Division Series. The Dodgers, thanks to the National League’s best record, get the opportunity to meet the Wild Card winner in the playoffs. It’s supposed to be an advantage. It’s anything but that, it seems, for the Dodgers. Both Colorado and Arizona have winning record against the boys in blue this season.

Read through this article and you’ll see that the Coors effect is real in the minds of the Dodgers. Words like “emotionally spent” and “crazy stuff can happen here” isn’t said about Chase Field. It is said about LoDo. Where do you think the Dodgers would rather play Game 3 of the NLDS … the desert or the mountains?

And maybe it’s more than just a mindset. Maybe, just maybe, this year, there is good reason for the Dodgers to not want to return to Denver or see the Rockies in the playoffs. This is the first season the Dodgers have lost the season series to Colorado since 2013. Los Angeles took the final two games of the season series after Colorado had clinched the Wild Card on Saturday. Prior to Saturday night, however, Los Angeles had lost five straight to the Rockies.

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Colorado has had LA’s number this season at times, including on September 7 when the Rockies bombed Clayton Kershaw on the way to a 9-1 decision at Chavez Ravine. Kershaw took the loss, his first in 16 consecutive starts, a stretch where he went 12-0 with a 1.70 ERA.

That started a four-game sweep for the Rockies in Los Angeles. Sure, the Dodgers were slumping at the time and Colorado was hitting its best stride of September. But the results still stand.

And if you think Colorado would like to avoid the matchup against the Dodgers, think again. They were 10-9 against them this season, part of a 42-34 record the Rockies rang up against the NL West. That’s the second-most wins against division opponents since the 2007 team went 43-30.

OK, let’s compare the Dodgers versus the Rockies and Diamondbacks this season. Let’s look at the numbers and then what two Dodgers-savvy media minds are thinking…